What is your heritage?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Of course everyone in the Americas except a very few pure aboriginal people, are immigrants in the long view, and even the aboriginals came from somewhere else.  It is pretty much agreed that humanity appeared first in the African rift valleys.  You could say that we are all the result of a millennia-long volkerwandrung from there.  So the statement that "all men are brothers" is correct in the long run.

[TekindusT 3,809]

Spanish nationality (at the moment ) here. Asking to my grandparents, I can trace my 19th century ancestry to Southern Spain on my dad's side and to the Pyrenees mountains on my mom's side. So I guess I might have a good bunch of Arabic descent in me. On the other hand, my blue eyes and pale skin talk a bit of ancestry north of the Pyrenees. Just guessing.

As a fun fact, my surname, Alarcón, comes after a Spanish town name. During the Middle Ages, Alarcón was an Almohad stronghold, which was conquered by the Castilian army during the Reconquista process. The commander-in-chief of the Castilian army was given the right by the king Alphonse VIII to wear the name of Alarcón as a surname, as a reward for conquering the stronghold. So yeah, don't mess with me.

[Duke87 1,070]

But that whole conversation is reflective of the fact that she and I are both old enough to be grandparents.  Aside from her reference, I haven't heard of a "mixed marriage" in a long time.  When I was a kid, it was illegal in some cases but that changed in the 60s.  These days it is not unusual at all, at least in my area of the country.   

 

These days you usually hear it referred to as an "interracial marriage", which is perhaps a bit more technical and of unambiguous meaning. I seem to recall reading somewhere that 1 out of every 7 new marriages in the US these days are between people of different races. So yes, certainly not unusual.

 

Of course, it isn't a new phenomenon, either. The entire Hispanic race owes its existence to Spanish and Portuguese sailors intermarrying with Native South American women.

[Alejandro24 575]

 

But that whole conversation is reflective of the fact that she and I are both old enough to be grandparents.  Aside from her reference, I haven't heard of a "mixed marriage" in a long time.  When I was a kid, it was illegal in some cases but that changed in the 60s.  These days it is not unusual at all, at least in my area of the country.   

 

These days you usually hear it referred to as an "interracial marriage", which is perhaps a bit more technical and of unambiguous meaning. I seem to recall reading somewhere that 1 out of every 7 new marriages in the US these days are between people of different races. So yes, certainly not unusual.

 

Of course, it isn't a new phenomenon, either. The entire Hispanic race owes its existence to Spanish and Portuguese sailors intermarrying with Native South American women.

 

There is no such thing as "hispanic race". The miscegenation of the spanish and portuguese people with the native americans were not random, actually most of them were only political alliances. The evangelizers disaproved the miscegenation, the idea transmitted around to the people untill the last century (at least in the region where I live). Most people considered "hispanic" has mostly european DNA, then consider the historical events around Iberia through the history, and add the fact of the word "hispanic" is only a cultural reference, not a racial term.

[Snugies 91]

about 1/8 Cree, 1/8 Saskatchewan, 2/8 Polynesian, 1/16 Uzbek, 1/16 Zulu, rest I don't know...these are the peoples who took care of me.  

[Meg 368]

 

There is no such thing as "hispanic race". The miscegenation of the spanish and portuguese people with the native americans were not random, actually most of them were only political alliances. The evangelizers disaproved the miscegenation, the idea transmitted around to the people untill the last century (at least in the region where I live). Most people considered "hispanic" has mostly european DNA, then consider the historical events around Iberia through the history, and add the fact of the word "hispanic" is only a cultural reference, not a racial term.

 

 

 

The 2010 United States Census had one question regarding whether an individual was of Hispanic origin or not and another question regarding the race of the individual.  Hispanics can be of any race.

 

This confused some people.  After declaring themselves to be of Hispanic origin, many were baffled as to what else to call themselves. 

[mrbisonm 1,622]

My Grandfather of my fathers side was born in Sweden and my Grandmother was half German and Swedish. My father was born in Germany in 1906. My mother's father was from Prussia and her mother from Hungary. My mother was born in Germany in 1909. Whatever makes me quite a mixture. But my family name is from Viking, which started off as " Falkhertje", an unlawful (illegal) child as of 1161 from the Thorvald/Eirikson descendance.(Erik the Red)

I am one of the few lucky people that have their original family tree, which was written in 1494 and has since been in the family updated with every branch. (priceless)

 

I myself was born and raised in Germany, lived in all kinds of Nations in between and now I am in Quebec/Canada since 45 years, married a french/Mohawk Canadian and have three sons, even more mixed than I. lol

 

 

Fred

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Well, Fred, that's quite a neat mix up.  When I was a kid, Meg, a mixed marriage was one where a Catholic married a Protestant.  My mother was Catholic and my father United Church of Canada.  So you see, terms change, eh?

[Terring 6,476]

Let's just say I'm Greek with a little bit of Cyprus and Egypt in me

[Duke87 1,070]

The 2010 United States Census had one question regarding whether an individual was of Hispanic origin or not and another question regarding the race of the individual.  Hispanics can be of any race.

 

This confused some people.  After declaring themselves to be of Hispanic origin, many were baffled as to what else to call themselves. 

 

Yeah, that strikes me as pretty weird as well. I've checked off "White, non-Hispanic" on multiple forms and I must admit the terminology seems redundant since, in my mind, "White" and "Hispanic" are two distinct and non-overlapping classifications. For someone to say they are both to me would imply that they are the product of a marriage between someone from Latin America and someone from Europe.

 

Of course, this perception is enforced heavily by societal factors: people from Latin America speak a different language and have a different culture than people from the US. So I can see where from a purely biological/genetic perspective, "white" and "Hispanic" are not nearly as distinct as they appear to be to an observer taking those other things into account.

Still, people who are Hispanic have a rather distinct physical appearance compared to people who are white (or at least, I think so)... but then, a lot of this may just be because people from the Iberian peninsula have a rather distinct physical appearance compared to people from elsewhere in Europe (thanks to the Moors, I suppose). And we do not see a lot of people in the US from Spain or Portugal so we're not used to thinking of that look as European, we think of it as Latin American.

 

So, there is a method to the madness, but the problem remains that now you have technical classifications which do not easily line up with layman's terms. And of course, politics and ideology do also get involved. Try explaining to a room full of rednecks that most Hispanic people are technically White people and see how well that goes for you.

[AkemiAzula 280]

My grandmother on my fathers side said one of her great grandmothers family came from spain through wales but so far ive only got to wales in the eighteenth century.

[Odainsaker 2,136]

It gets even yet more complicated in the U.S.: For a time, Mexican-Americans were legally considered "White" as an aftereffect of the war prize annexations of Mexican territory after the Mexican-American War. The annexed populations were granted U.S. citizenship and the full right to vote in accordance with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, but, as U.S. law at the time only allowed whites the vote, it was logically decided that the U.S. Government must then consider Mexicans as "White." Of course, this legally contorted demographic definition didn't play out in reality for the affected people, who faced racism regardless of this "White" status, and this racism was and still is often tuned in intensity to the perceived level of skin "whiteness." It also casts a sleigh-of-hand over the impossibly complex racial demographics and complicated racial histories of Mexico and Latin America. Still, in U.S. censuses following the war, there was no "Hispanic" category, which wasn't added until 1970, and those populations were simply tallied as "White" or later inaccurately as "Mexican" or "Spanish-American." For added categorical fun, throw in the sometimes-overlapping and heavily loaded terms "Latino" and "Chicano" and try to sort it all out.

Ah well, I always end up selecting "Asian" or "Pacific Islander" on racial questionnaires. I'm too "White" and assimilated to really be seen as truly such, but, I guess I have enough features to be seen as sufficiently different and be told by Asians that I could reasonably blend in Asia. I always seem to attract the elderly Asian grandmothers who think I should be movie star or tarento or pop-singer, changing my racial complexion laughingly into "blushing red." Still, the moment I open my mouth...I apparently speak formal American English with a slight accent of some sort, which most people cannot seem to place. Some have tried to guess British, others Japanese, others even German!!!...whatever it is they are hearing (seriously, German???), it is obviously not considered from the mainland U.S. Others cannot place my last name, which looks distinctly foreign and ethnic, but particularly unfamiliar, even for Asia and Hawaii. One even wondered if it was French and actually tried to pronounce my name as such to a hall full of people, which left me quite befuddled and speechless. Seriously, French? Admittedly, I suspect my current family name is a reformulation of a longer, hyphenated, Spanish-derived Filipino name that was somehow contracted and condensed in the old, prewar immigration offices. Like poor Vito Andolini Corleone! In the end, they are always surprised when then learn my family is mostly based in Hawaii, which is its own island microcosm of the complexities that come with racial and linguistic colonial melting pots.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

We should probably stay far, far away from discussion of the American melting pot.  For a country most of whose people are against "miscegenation" they seem to make every effort towards it.  It is all definitely a mixed marriage.

[Sleeping Politician 32]

I am a full blood Indian born as a 1st generation Indian American with both of my parents from South India

[Indiana Joe 1,751]

Lithuanian/Irish on my father's side, English/German on my mother's side.  The Lithuanian and German must be dominant considering the blonde hair and blue eyes.  My brother had the Irish freckles; they faded as he got older.

[CapTon 592]

My mother is German and Swedish and my father is 100% Italian so I'm all three of those. Mostly Italian, though.

[jmsepe 2,039]

I am a Filipino-Chinese. The Chinese is taken from my mother's side.

 

I was born and raised in the Philippines and until now I am still stuck in the Philippines. Lels. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I am a full blood Indian born as a 1st generation Indian American with both of my parents from South India

Interesting.  How do your people differ from Tamils?

[Sleeping Politician 32]

 

I am a full blood Indian born as a 1st generation Indian American with both of my parents from South India

Interesting.  How do your people differ from Tamils?

 

LOL! I am Tamil.

[Huston 5,799]

I couldn't possibly break down my ancestry any further than being a Filipino since my family has next to no records, so I'll just simply say I'm Filipino

[jmsepe 2,039]

I couldn't possibly break down my ancestry any further than being a Filipino since my family has next to no records, so I'll just simply say I'm Filipino

 

Seriously, you are a Filipino?? 

[Huston 5,799]

I couldn't possibly break down my ancestry any further than being a Filipino since my family has next to no records, so I'll just simply say I'm Filipino

 
Seriously, you are a Filipino?? 

 

Lol, yeah, I'm a Filipino-born New Zealander, moved here when I was young. Lived in the capital, skipping from city to city in the metro between different family relatives since our family never owned a house ourselves. It's kind of a godsend to be here since our entire situation improved

[jmsepe 2,039]

 

I couldn't possibly break down my ancestry any further than being a Filipino since my family has next to no records, so I'll just simply say I'm Filipino

 

Seriously, you are a Filipino?? 

 

Lol, yeah, I'm a Filipino-born New Zealander, moved here when I was young. Lived in the capital, skipping from city to city in the metro between different family relatives since our family never owned a house ourselves. It's kind of a godsend to be here since our entire situation improved

 

 

Dang, how lucky of you but fret now, I still have hopes for my country.  

 

So you don't know how to speak Filipino? 

 

I wonder why most of the Filipinos I know here in ST have migrated outside, you, Tonraq and Munchiez. Lels. 

 

Should I also migrate now? 

[Huston 5,799]

Well, usually it's because of financial purposes; our family was never really in the greatest financial situation, and their working hours were stretched to the point that I hadn't usually seen them during the day. Here, it's entirely the opposite. Don't get me wrong, I still love the Philippines, but I don't see it as my ideal choice to live, what with the corruption, crime and pollution, not to mention looming overpopulation. [however my parents are eager to move back there at retirement age]

[jmsepe 2,039]

Nah, I understand. I have nothing against migrant Filipinos because personally I want to migrate myself. 

[Huston 5,799]

Lol, I didn't take it in any offense, just speakin' my mind. However, deciding on migration really is up to you, but ideally, out of considering opportunities, you'd probably get more outside the country if you moved to somewhere more developed.

[jmsepe 2,039]

Lol, I didn't take it in any offense, just speakin' my mind. However, deciding on migration really is up to you, but ideally, out of considering opportunities, you'd probably get more outside the country if you moved to somewhere more developed.

 

So, any plans of visiting the Philippines?

 

Plus, I think you haven't answered my question yet about whether or not you know how to speak Filipino. 

[Huston 5,799]

Since I've been here, I've returned to see family twice XD It's always fun, and then gets extremely emotional at the end when we leave lol. In terms of speaking Filipino, I've got a very basic vocabulary, and coupled with my slow brain, it takes me a while to construct sentences. HOWEVER [there's always a but or however] my understanding of Filipino is near fluent, until you get to the rather complicated words, and often unused words In other words, I can understand, but can barely speak Filipino -- My parents speak Filipino to me, and my general response is in English so I'm one of those migrant Filipinos

[jmsepe 2,039]

Oh so you're living in NZ alone? 

[Huston 5,799]

No, I'm with my family -- that is immediate family [parents and siblings], my grandparents and aunt on my father's side.